Minor League Recaps

Sunday's Results

Greeneville Astros 0 Princeton Rays 1

Let's call this what it was, a pitcher's duel—with an emphasis on the plural.  There were a total of 8 pitchers used in the game by both teams and Greeneville used 4.  Lance McCullers (0-1) got the start for the Astros and after going 4 innings took the tough loss after allowing 1 run on 2 hits, walking 1 and striking out 2. Joseph Musgrove came on for the next 3 and a third frames with just 4 hits and 6 Ks.  Even though there wasn't much going at the plate for Greeneville on Sunday Carlos Correa (2X3, 2B, BB) and Ariel Ovando (2X4) both managed multi-hit games.  Correa collected his 12th double all year and the first since his Greenville call-up.

Tri-City ValleyCats 6 Staten Island Yankees 5

Tri-City was in control of this game almost the entire time even though the score might suggest otherwise.  Jamaine Cotton worked an okay sixth inning but had an uncharacteristically bumpy time after coming out for the seventh.  Cotton ended up being charged with 4 runs (3ER) on 2 hits, walking 4 and striking out 1.  Brady Rodgers (6-2), who started the game, pitched 5 innings, allowed 1 run on 3 hits, walked 1, struck out 3 and earned his sixth win of the year.  Travis Ballew came on for the ninth and earned his second save, giving up a lone hit.  M.P. Cokinos continued to swing the bat well Sunday, going 2 for 4 with a double, triple, 2 RBI and a walk.  Preston Tucker was hot on his heels, batting 2 for 5 with a double and his 5th homer of the season.

Lancaster JetHawks 3 San Jose Giants 2

Lancaster didn't get on the board until later in the game Sunday, but when they did it forced the opposition's starting pitcher out of the game.  Coupled with the fact that Lancaster pitching allowed no runs outside the second inning, it made for a significant win on the road at Municipal Stadium.  David Martinez (7-4) got the start and the win, pitching seven strong innings, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits, walking 1 and striking out 5.  Jorge De Leon picked up his fourth save after coming on for the last out in the ninth, an inning that saw 3 pitchers for Lancaster.  De Leon fanned the 1 batter he faced, moving his season K total to 52.

Springfield Cardinals 9 Corpus Christi Hooks 20

It's baseball 101.  If there's a chance the opponent might hang 9 runs on your team, bring 20 of your own to the ballpark for good measure.  The Hooks scored 12 runs in the sixth inning but the offense didn't start there.  With 2 outs in the bottom of the first, Jonathan Singleton and Drew Locke homered back-to-back to get Corpus Christi on the board.  Singleton would homer again in the eighth inning, this time a 3-run shot to left center field.  Ben Orloff went 5 for 5 with a triple, double and 4 RBIs.  Austin Wates came into the game in the sixth inning and ended up 3 for 3 with a double and 2 RBI.  Alex Sogard (BS 2, 3-1) picked up the blown save and the win after giving up a run on a hit in the sixth inning.  Matthew Heidenreich started the game and through 5 and third was charged with 5 runs on 5 hits (3ER), K-ing 3. 

In case your curious what the box looked like after a game like this, here it is:

Sacramento River Cats 3 Oklahoma City RedHawks 1

The RedHawks offense was stifled a little on Sunday and they went down for their ninth loss in a row.  Not stifled however, was Julio Daniel Martinez, who batted 4 for 5 with a double.  Overall, the RedHawks left 13 on the bases and the team RISP was 0 for 7.  Matt Downs (2X3) scored the lone run with a long ball over center field as the first batter in the fourth inning.  Downs also drew a walk. Ross Seaton (0-1) took the loss but had a good outing despite it.  Seaton was charged with 2 runs (1ER) on 6 hits, walked 2 and struck out 3. 

Player of The Day:  Ben Orloff is the man today for his work yesterday.  Orloff went 5 for 5, which isn't nearly as easy to do as it is to say.  It also marks 6 consecutive hits for Orloff and ties the team record for hits in a game.

Pitcher of the Day:  I'm going to go slightly against convention and give the honor to Jorge De Leon today.  Here's why:  the two Lancaster pitchers that preceded him in the ninth inning Sunday both walked a batter, meaning the go ahead run was already on base when De Leon came into the game with 2 outs.  De Leon, unfazed,  then finished it out for his team in style, striking that last batter out swinging.